Summer Ball Wraps Up for Returning Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After four months of college baseball and two months of summer baseball, IU's roster will return to campus for the 2024-2025 school year at the end of August. Between an NCAA Regional run, MLB Draft picks and a new-look roster, the Hoosiers have been busy since the end of last season.

13 returning players from the 2024 roster featured in collegiate summer ball of some kind while some players, such as third baseman Josh Pyne, got a look in the MLB Draft League before wrapping up their season for some much needed rest.

Here's a look at how returning Hoosiers fared over the summer. IU was led by the performances of Northwoods League Pitcher of the Year, and league champion, Ryan Kraft over the past few months.

Note: Only returning players that played in 2024 are featured, incoming transfers and drafted players are not on this list.

Cape Cod League

Devin Taylor – OF, Cotuit Kettleers
Season: 29 GP, 98 AB, 29 H, 18 R, 5 HR, 16 RBI, .296 AVG., .907 OPS

Taylor missed a two-week stretch of the Cape Cod League season to feature with Team USA in their summer showcase. Upon returning, he proved to be one of the best all-around bats in the league. In the best collegiate summer league, he slashed .296/.397/.510 and finished third overall in OPS (.907).

He mashed five home runs while driving in 16 runs on the season. Cotuit finished second in the west division and made the second round of the playoffs. Taylor was a mainstay at the designated hitter position but featured in nine games in the outfield (77.0 innings played) without making an error.

Tyler Cerny – INF, Cotuit Kettleers
Season: 32 GP, 106 AB, 21 H, 14 R, 6 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI

Nobody had a busier season than Tyler Cerny. After starting all 60 games for the Hoosiers, Cerny played in 32 contests for Cotuit, 28 of those at shortstop. He recorded 21 hits in 106 at-bats and gained valuable experience heading into his junior campaign.

He and teammate Devin Taylor helped lead Cotuit into the playoffs and will return to Bloomington to form one of the most formidable 1-2 punches in the entire country.

Jacob Vogel – RHP, Bourne Braves
Season: 1 app., 1.1 IP, 1 K

A 2024 NCBWA Freshman All-American, Vogel pitched just one time before being shut down the rest of the summer. He will return to Bloomington with big experience at the back end of the bullpen.

Northwoods League

Ryan Kraft – LHP, Kalamazoo Growlers
Season: 9 app., 8 starts, 6-2, 1.44 ERA, 56.1 IP, 81 K, 10 BB

Kraft was simply dominant in his summer with the Kalamazoo Growlers, helping his team to the Northwoods League title. He was named the Pitcher of the Year in the league, blowing away the competition with an earned run average of 1.44 and a WHIP of 0.91.

With a big summer in his back pocket, and some confidence back on the mound, Kraft will return to Bloomington as one of the most veteran pitchers in the Big Ten. He will look to become a reliable option again at the heart of the IU rotation.

Ryan Rushing – LHP, St. Cloud Rox
Season: 18 app., 3.58 ERA, 27.2 IP, 20 H, 11 ER, 42 K

After an up-and-down freshman campaign, Rushing pitched his way to a productive summer in the Northwoods League. St. Cloud made the finals of their division playoffs led by a trio of Hoosiers pitchers.

Rushing threw over 27 innings, breaking down opposing batters with 42 strikeouts and just 17 walks in the summer. He is a valuable left-handed arm heading into the 2025 season and could pitch in a variety of roles.

Aydan Decker-Petty – RHP, St. Cloud Rox
Season: 8 app., 2 starts, 3-2, 4.01 ERA, 24.2 IP, 35 K, 10 BB

Decker-Petty was outstanding in the back half of the 2024 season for IU and that translated over to the summer where he made a pair of starts and pitched in eight games. Armed with a mid-90's fastball, he had a 4.01 earned run average in 24.2 innings.

The 6-5 right-hander had 35 strikeouts to just 10 walks as part of a good St. Cloud rotation. Decker-Petty returns to Bloomington as a veteran in the pitching group. He's got starter material but could also be a shutdown piece in the bullpen.

Seth Benes – RHP, Kokomo Jackrabbits
Season: 14 app., 1-3, 1 save, 21.2 IP, 33 K, 7.06 ERA

Benes appeared once in St. Cloud before moving to Kokomo for the remainder of the summer. He pitched to over 110 batters and threw 21.2 innings. He missed a majority of his freshman season, throwing just over five innings in 2024. The highly-touted recruit will come back to campus for another full fall of instruction.

Jasen Oliver – INF, Traverse City Pit Spitters
Season: .308 avg., 7 GP, 26 AB, 8 H, 2 RBI; 3 IP, 2.2 IP, 2 K

Oliver featured very little for Traverse City in the summer after playing in 44 games for the Hoosiers this past year. He hit .308 in just 26 at-bats. The to-be sophomore logged 2.2 innings of work on the mound across three appearances. He pitched once in 2024 for IU and can run his fastball into the mid-90's.

Northeast Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)

Andrew Wiggins – OF, Keene SwampBats
Season: 38 GP, 106 AB, 22 H, 30 R, 2 HR, 14 RBI

Wiggins is the third-straight IU freshman outfielder to play the summer in Keene (Carter Mathison – 2022, Devin Taylor – 2023). The Indianapolis native gained some valuable experience, playing in 38 games with over 100 at-bats. He featured regularly at designated hitter for IU before a hand injury derailed part of his season.

He will come back to Bloomington with lots of at-bats under his belt. Wiggins is part of a deep and talented outfield group for next year.

TJ Schuyler – C, Keene SwampBats (NECBL)/Pulaski River Turtles (Appalachian League)
Season: 13 GP, 36 AB, 10 H, 4 2B, 5 RBI

Schuyler transferred out to finish his season in Keene in the NECBL. He hit .438 with seven hits to close out his summer in New Hampshire.

Joey Brenczewski – INF, Martha's Vineyard Sharks (NECBL)/Falmouth Commodores (Cape Cod League)
Season: 19 GP, 65 AB, 15 H, 10 RBI

After a brief stint, with a hit, in the Cape Cod League, Brenczewski settled in nicely in the NECBL. He racked up 15 hits and 10 runs with 10 RBIs in his 19 games. Brenczewski enjoyed an impressive breakout, All-Big Ten caliber season for the Hoosiers in 2024.

Appalachian League

Eli Shaw – RHP, Pulaski River Turtles
Season: 12 app., 2-0, 4.82 ERA, 27 K, 12 BB

Best known for the use of his changeup, Shaw went out to the Appalachian League to develop his fastball in Pulaski. He added 28.0 innings under his belt on the mound and threw to 132 batters on the season. Shaw is another interesting piece for the IU bullpen next season.

Prospect League

Grant Holderfield – LHP, Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp
Season: 6 app., 5 starts, 3-2, 31.0 IP, 32 K, 9 BB

After returning from season-long injury, Holderfield struggled at points in 2024. He regained his form in the summer, throwing 31.0 innings in the Prospect League. He started five contests and maintained a 2.90 earned run average over the season. He had 32 strikeouts to just nine walks and could return to Bloomington a new pitcher.

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